Matt_Lcfc

I was relieved to see that Carney won, even if it is a minority government. Interestingly enough, in January, Poilevre was projected to win the largest majority in every G7 country. Obviously, Trudeau resigning had a big impact, but I think the self-destruction going on south of the border was more important. Trump has literally threatened the sovereignty of a proud, successful and independent country. Prior to Trump being elected, it felt that Canada would turn blue, and I say this as somebody who lives in a Liberal stronghold. Carney was a sensible nominee for the Liberal Party, he is a welcome break from the mould of career politicians. He successfully guided Canada during the 2008 Financial Crisis, and in my view, he did a decent job in the UK (in a challenging set of circumstances). I support his stance towards the US, and I hope that Canada and the UK can build an even stronger relationship over the next four years. As I touched on above, it will be interesting to see how the Trump term will impact populist parties across the west.

Bump.

So what happens in the *likely* scenario that teams workout how to play against us? Having no fullbacks will mean that we will be limited in how we can play.

It seems that fullbacks bear little relevance in the system that Maresca wants to play. However, this leaves us incredibly short in that department. Hypothetically, should Castagne, VK and Thomas all leave (which seems v likely) we will be left with Doyle, Justin and Ricardo. What concerns me is that Justin and Ricardo are injury prone and Doyle isn’t a natural fullback. If Maresca genuinely believes that this will be the most effective system, then I trust his judgement. However, this just seems like it has the potential to leave us exposed. What is the plan in the likely scenario if one of the above sustains an injury? Also, if he does go to Leeds, I don’t see why we would potentially strengthen a promotion rival. I know we have to offload to enable us to sign new players, but surely this hardly helps? Thomas won’t be on high wages and the loan fee that they’ll pay us will be small.

I remember the Essien comparison. I would imagine that there is a compilation somewhere, he seemed to win the ball back every single time. It has been so depressing to watch him go so backwards.

Honorable mention to Wilfred Ndidi against Liverpool (Covid season). He was phenomenal that day.

At least we get a warm can of Chang though!!!

Rubbish. Watch and analyse the game properly and stop writing headlines like that which you know makes fans pile on with negativity. Play like that and we’ll be absolutely fine. Created numerous brilliant chances and win comfortably on another day. #ThankYouMadderz

How do you know that? There is no way of suggesting that location does matter or doesn’t matter as the answer is simply not black and white. It would completely depend on personal circumstances. In the case of Maddison, his girlfriend his pregnant and works in London, he owns a house in Leicestershire, and in all fairness, I reckon he’d choose London over Newcastle anyway.

I am a fan. Plenty of fake yellow card waving and intimidating forth officials whilst we simultaneously romp the league and upset the whole of the EFL.

Terrible news. It’s disheartening to see people on Twitter engaging in a prejudiced witch-hunt against ethnic minorities. The mindset is difficult to understand. People see a tragic, inhumane act (which will have impacted many) and the first reaction is to rush onto social media and target innocent people. These people will have been foaming at the mouth knowing that this person was black. It’s a classic example of tarnishing everybody with the same brush. It’s also a stark reminder as to how social media can bring the worst out of people, I have read multiple posts that are just completely thoughtless.

I’d rather we appointed Smith than Parker.

I’d gamble on McKenna. Parker would be uninspiring and doesn’t offer a long-term solution, Smith didn’t achieve his objectives last season, and Gerrard got showed up at Villa. McKenna hasn’t been in the game long, granted. However, he demonstrated his potential last season at Ipswich and has been lauded for attacking football / getting the fans on side. It’s the sort of manager that we should be going for. He’s 37 and at this moment in time, his stock is high. I could see him doing a very decent job here.

Yakubu was quality.

I don’t have a crystal ball, mate.

He’s lucky to be credited for being a ‘model professional.’ If you look at the evidence, it suggests otherwise. Jumped ship quickly at his boyhood club and downed tools at both Monaco and Leicester.

My suspicion would be that he has an overinflated perception about his ability. He’s a good player on his day but he is far from alone in that department. Tielemans has a great technical ability, however, his athleticism will always let him down. He’ll probably be decent enough at Villa but it’s hardly going to change the trajectory of his career. He’s 26 now, - this is the time for a big move. I also think that by the time he’s 30, it will be basically over as he has been playing regularly since he was 16. Tielemans will burn out.

Probably the most genuine apology from any player, you can tell that relegation has hurt him. However, I think that last line does potentially indicate that he doesn’t want to end his career in the championship.

Can’t believe people think that Daka will tear the league up (assuming he’s still here). I love it when people refer to his pace as if we have seen any conclusive evidence of him being fast. Pace is an irrelevant trait when you get muscled off the ball every single time. Its quite obvious that practically every team will setup in a low block next year, so I can’t see him getting in behind defenders. Kel is different, although I don’t think he’ll be here next season. He actually has the right footballing intelligence and movement to score goals, I’m convinced that he would get 25+ should he stay. But like I say, it’s a moot point as I reckon he will get a decent move.

We would have been at least six points better off had Iversen played. The blind loyalty shown to Ward was a disgrace. The Everton game was a perfect case study for the difference between the two, we would have lost that game 6-2 with Ward.

I cannot some people are naive enough to think that we are going to get Potter, he isn’t coming anywhere near us.

No thanks, he is a younger version of Brendan Rodgers.

I fully agree with this point. It always speaks volumes when perfectly good players do not kick up a fuss about a lack of game time. I think that regardless of manager, if Mendy had played ahead of Ndidi, and Kel had started every game then we would have been fine.

I think that leaving it at yesterday is probably the best option. I feel that I sympathise with Smith more than most on this forum. He was dealt a terrible hand and I do think that there was a slight improvement. That said, it wasn’t enough and he didn’t get us over the line, despite us missing huge chances against Leeds and Everton. In terms of people who are culpable for our demise, he is right at the bottom. The fact of the matter is, Smith isn’t good enough at this level, but still, if he came in before the Crystal Palace match then I think he keeps us up. I just find it to be unforgivable that the club waited after the international break. It really just highlights the incompetence of Rodgers and the board. His transparency and home truths about the club were appreciated, but I find it hard to believe that he is the man to take us forward.

Yeah, probably because his positivity isn’t appreciated. Loser.